In the past, many web services are not comfortable opening up their users data. They allow users to import data from other services, but do not allow people to export their data. That includes contact details. Many of those services think data lock-in is the way of keeping users, but they didn’t realize it may push users away. The tide has changed — now, Google allows users to CRUD (create, read, update, delete) their contacts through an API. In short, it enables users to export their contacts in a programmatic way. It allows programmers tapping into Google contact more easily and safely. I believe this API opens a new arena on data portability on the Web.

Now I want to see this from Facebook.

I will be joining Under The Radar | Business of Web Apps conference as one of the selection committee members. The conference will uncover 32 new startups and my responsibility is to provide opinions on the final lineup. What a great way to represent my company Stepcase and our core competence to identify useful and productive tools for users.

I connected with Fraser Kelton of AdaptiveBlue last week. AdaptiveBlue focuses in semantic web solution. Their flagship product, SmartLinks, provides an easy for bloggers and webmasters to add more related information on existing content. You could instantly connect your readers to related information: book reviews, similar movies, stock research, music videos - make the best of the web one-click away.

Finally. Here is a useful Adobe AIR application - which brings Google Analytics to your desktop. The interface is very attractive and responsive to interactions. You could do most of the metrics and export formats just like the web version: PDF, CSV and XML. Take a look at this graph: